1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to guided projectiles in general, and in particular to an apparatus for guiding a rifle-launched projectile.
2. Description of Related Art
The ability of a sniper to eliminate an enemy target at distances well over one mile away has a paralyzing effect on an adversarial combat force. However, many combat units do not have the luxury of full-time sniper support. Given the tempo of operations common in modern asymmetric warfare, it is often too late to deploy sniper support by the time an engagement has begun.
One way to address the problem of limited sniper availability is to enable any solder within a squad equipped with a squad-level weapon to have the shooting accuracy comparable to a trained sniper. For example, small caliber weapons, such as rifles, can be furnished with self-guided projectiles. Some approaches to imparting guidance on projectiles include spinning a projectile or de-spinning a portion of the projectile to provide aerodynamic stability. Other approaches involve the usage of drag inducing control surfaces. However, these approaches have been proven impractical to realize within the size, weight and cost constraints of small arms munitions.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an improved guided projectile suitable for use in small caliber weapons.